Conveyer switch



y 1939- E. H MALTBY 2,158,482

CONVEYER SWITCH Filed Aug. 20, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet 1 y 1939- E. H. MALTBY CONVEYER swwcn Filed Aug. 20, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVEYER, SWITCH Application August 20, 1936, Serial No. 96,979

'7 Claims.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel conveyer switch of the movable roller type, having driving mechanism adapted to positively rotate the several rollers in unison, irrespective of their relative positions.

Other objects will appear and be more fully pointed out in the following specification and claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is the plan view of my improved switch in a suitable arrangement of main and branch conveyers;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, on a larger scale, showing the switch rollers in parallel relation to each other;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2, as viewed from the plane 3-3;

Fig. 4.- is a section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side View, showing the relationship of the switch to a main conveyer of the live roller type;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation showing the driving connections between the switch rollers as viewed from the plane 66 in Fig. 2;

Fig. '7 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 'l-'! of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a perspective View showing a pair of the switch rollers and the guiding arms therefor, and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 2.

The main conveyer, indicated generally in the drawings by the numeral l0, consists of a multiplicity of conveyer rollers of the usual or suitable type mounted between supporting rails and arranged to be severally rotating by a power driven chain ll engaging small sprocket gears l2 which are severally fixed on the axial shafts supporting 40 the conveyer rollers. Any suitable load may be carried in either direction along the conveyer and for example, it may be assumed that the loads are to pass in the direction indicated by arrows in Figs. 1 and 5.

My improved switch has a series of relatively movable rollers, severally indicated by the numerals I3, I 5, l5 and I6, and a section of rollers ll adapted to be moved from the position indicated in Figs. 2 and 5, where the switch extends in continuation of the main conveyer, to one or more other positions where the switch connects the main conveyer to branch conveyers such as those indicated generally by the numerals l8 and IS in Fig. 1.

For guiding the individual rollers l3, l4, l5 and I6 I provide mechanism which is similar to that described and claimed in my application for patent for Conyever, Serial 754,721 filed November 26th, 1934. Supporting these rollers for movement in a horizontal plane is the horizontal plate 29. Beneath this plate in spaced parallel relation thereto is a rigid bar 2| (Fig. 7) and the plate 20 and bar 2| are formed with bearings for pivot pins 22, 23, 24 and 25. Rigidly secured to the upper ends of these pivot pins are guiding arms 26, 21, 28 and 29 respectively for the rollers l3, l4, I5 and IS. The free ends of these arms are rigidly secured to rectangularly disposed members 30 for supporting the several rollers. 1 Brackets 3| and 32 are mounted on the ends of the members 30 to afford bearings for the axial shafts supporting the rollers.

To coordinate the movement of the switch rollers, the arms 26, 21, 28 and 29 have interengaging studs and slots. As best shown in Fig. 8, the arm 26 has a downwardly projecting stud 33 engaging in an elongated slot 34 in the arm 21 and the latter has a similar stud 35 to engage in a similar slot in the arm 28. A similar stud on the arm 28 engages in a slot in the arm 29. Each of the switch rollers has a pair of anti-friction rollers or casters 36 secured to the ends respectively of the supported member 3!] torun on the plate 20 and facilitate the movement of n the switch from one position to another.

By this arrangement it will be understood that the rollers l3, I4, I5 and I6 are severally movable in fixed arcuate paths, the radii of which are determined by the guiding arms 26, 21, 28 and 29. These arms are of progressively increasing lengths, the arm 26 being the shortest and the arm 29 the longest, and are so proportioned and pivoted that the rollers attached thereto are always retained with their axes substantially radically disposed to the conveyer, when curved, irrespective of the degree of curvature, and are parallel to each other when in the straight position, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

To drive the several rollers I3, l4, l5 and I 6, power may be obtained from one of the rollers 31 of the main conveyer or from a separate driving mechanism. As illustrated, the roller 3'! is driven by the chain l l and, as best shown in Fig. 4, has a beveled gear 38 fixed on one end of its axial shaft to drive a short, vertical shaft 39 through V a second beveled gear 40. The shaft 39 has suitable bearings in the bracket 32 and secured to said shaft is a spur gear 4|. The gear 4| drives a gear 42 which is mounted on a vertical pin 43 supported on pairs of arms 44 and 45 located above and below the gears 4| and 42. These arms are of such length as to retain the gear 42 in mesh with the gear 4| and with a driven gear 46 for driving the roller l3. The gear 46 is fixed on a vertical shaft 41 mounted in the bracket 32 supporting the roller l3, Fast on the vertical shaft 41 is a beveled gear 48 meshing with a second beveled gear 49 fixed on the axial supporting shaft for the roller l3.

Pairs of the arms 44 and 45 are provided for supported gears similar to the gear 42 for bridging the gap between the several rollers l3, |4, I5 and I6. Pairs of beveled gears 48 and 49, shafts 43 and 41 and driven gear 46 are also duplicated for each of the rollers I4, l5 and H5. The roller "5 is mounted on a suitable supporting frame 50 which also carries the rollers l1, and the end of this frame beneath the roller I6 is provided with a pair of casters 5|, similar to the casters 36, to roll on the plate 20. The opposite end of the frame 50 is supported by anti-friction rollers on an arcuate angle bar 52.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 5 the rollers H are driven from the roller I6 through a sprocket chain 53 and small sprocket wheels 54 severally fixed 0n the axial shafts supporting the rollers l1 and engaging said chain. The chain is driven by a sprocket wheel 55 fast on the axial shaft supporting the roller l6.

As indicated in Fig. 5, the chain I l for driving the main conveyer rollers may be snubbed down, out of the way of the switch mechanism, by training it on sprocket Wheels 56 and may be driven by power applied through a sprocket wheel 51, the return reach of the chain being guided on sprocket wheels 58.

The operation of the conveyer will be readily understood from the foregoing detail description. Containers of merchandise or other loads may be delivered to the main conveyer I0 and are positively actuated along said conveyer. If the movement is from the right to the left, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5, and the loads are to continue along the main conveyer, the switch section is retained in its straight position indicated in Figs. 2 and 5. The several rollers of the switch section are positively driven, in the appropriate direction through the driving connection with the roller 31 hereinbefore described. Thus each of the rollers I3, I4, I5, l6 and I1 is rotated. When the load is to be switched to one of the branch conveyers, such as the conveyer it or IS, the end of the frame 50 supported on the arcuate rail 52 is moved, either by hand or by power, to the appropriate position to deliver the loads to the desired point. The toggle-like arrangement of the arms 44 and 45 retains the gears 42 in mesh with the driving and driven gears, such as the gears 4| and 46, at all times while the guiding mechanism for the several rollers l3, l4, l5 and I6 positively retains these rollers in proper radial relation to the curve.

For sorting or classifying products in warehouses and the like, it is frequently desirable to provide a multiplicity of my power drive switches to constitute the main conveyer. My improved driving mechanism makes the switch peculiarly adapted for this use because control of the loads is at all times maintained. For such use a multiplicity of my improved switches may be positioned, end to end to provide for delivery of the loads to a multiplicity of different points or to branch conv-eyers.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A conveyer switch comprising a plurality of revoluble and relatively movable rollers adapted to support and convey loads along straight or curved paths, means for guiding said rollers to form either straight or curved conveyer paths, extensible and contractile means extending along a side edge of the switch, connecting said rollers together and permitting movement thereof to form said paths and a train of gears extending along a side edge of said path and including gears for rotating said rollers individually in the several positions thereof.

2. A conveyer switch comprising a plurality of revoluble and relatively movable rollers adapted to support and convey loads along curved paths, means for guiding said rollers to extend with their axes substantially radial to the several curves, extensible and retractile means extending along the outer side edge of the switch, connecting said rollers together and permitting movement thereof to form the several curved paths and a train of gears extending along said edge of the switch and including a gear for rotating each of said rollers.

3. A conveyer switch comprising a plurality of revoluble and relatively movable rollers adapted to support and convey loads along curved paths, extensible and retractile means along the outer side edge of the switch connecting said rollers together and permitting movement thereof to form the several curved paths, a gear operatively connected to each of said rollers for rotating the same and a gear bridging the space between each pair of said first mentioned gears and mounted on said connecting means for coordinating the rotation of the rollers.

e. A conveyer switch comprising a plurality of rollers, individually movable supports for said rollers, a gear mounted on each of said supports for rotating the roller thereon, extensible and retractile connecting means between adjacent roller supports permitting movement of said supports to and from each other and a gear mounted on each of said extensible and retractile means in mesh with the gears on the adjacent supports for maintaining a driving connection between rollers.

5. A conveyer switch comprising a plurality of rollers, individually movable supports for said rollers, a gear mounted on each of said supports for rotating the roller thereon, a pair of toggle arms connecting each of said supports to an adjacent roller support and permitting movement of said supports to and from each other and a gear mounted on each pair of said toggle arms, in mesh with the gears on the adjacent supports for maintaining a driving connection between rollers.

6. A conveyer switch comprising a plurality of rollers, individually movable supports for said rollers, means for guiding the several roller supports to form a curved switch section of various curvatures, a gear mounted on each of said supports for rotating the roller thereon, a pair of toggle arms connecting each of said supports to an adjacent roller support at the outer side edge of said switch sections and permitting movement of said supports to and from each other and a gear mounted on each pair of said toggle arms, in mesh with the gears on the adjacent supports for maintaining a driving connection between said rollers in all of the relative positions thereof.

'7. A conveyer switch comprising, a plurality of roller supports relatively movable to and from axially parallel and obliquely angular positions,

rollers revoluble about substantially horizontal axes on said supports, means for coordinating the relative angular movement of said supports to the several positions, a gear operatively connected to each of said rollers for rotating the same and a train of gearing joining said first mentioned gears together to rotate said rollers in unison when in all of said positions, the axes of the several gears of said train being disposed substantially vertically.

EDWARD H. MALTBY. 

